Apparatus for the propulsion of vessels.



No. 733,010'. PATBNTBD JULY 7, 1903.

` G. M. coEN. APPARATUS PoR THB PRoPULsIoN or vEssELs.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 9, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES.

" UNITED STATES `Patented July '7, 1902;.

'ATENT EErcE..

CHARLES M. ooEN, on EW YORK, N. Y.

SPEGlFICATION formingpart Of Letters :Patent N0. 733,010, dated July '7, 1903.

Application filed Octobor 9| 1902.

To all whom, t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. OoEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Propulsion of Vessels; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of v with the depth of water wherein the said wheel is to work, so as to secure the propulsive effects or relative benefits of a comparatively large propeller-wheel in places where` only light-draft vessels can be used.

The end to which I aim is attained by first inclosing the wheel within the body of the vessel, as hereinafter shown, so that the water can reach the said chamber from forward and discharge from the after portion of the chamber from the action of the wheel. While the top of this chamber is provided with a secondary chamber which is kept sufficiently filled with water to insure the objects herein setforth--that is to say, from the upper side of the wheel-chamberwthe air is kept partially or wholly free by exhaustion, so that as air finds its way into the lower chamber as it enters with the water it ascends to` the adjoiningchamber, from whence it is taken up by vacuum or partial vacuum therein produced through the ejection of air by steampressure or by suction through the use of suitable pumps, as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

I am aware that propeller-wheels have been used in chambers to accomplish the purpose for which I have herein made practical provisions, so as to overcome difficulties which have heretofore rendered attempts in these directions futile. In other words, I provide a separate (overhead) chamber through which the accumulating air-during the process of propulsion is eliminated and which would otherwise render the wheel correspondingly Serial No. 126,505. (No model.)

inoperative through racing, as would be the case with any propeller-wheel when only partially immersed. water in this chamber is indicated by a glass water-gage (marked W) connected therewith, as shown.

My final object is to produce here a complete propelling apparatus which can be easily adjusted to light-draft vessels wherein'the screw-propeller could not be used, as ordinarily employed in vessels, and thereby make serviceable as independent carriers many boats which have to be towed by other vessels at the present time.

The preferred height of" With reference to the accompanying drawrepresent the outlines of a Vessel of greater l width than the one represented in Fig. l of the drawings, all of which in proportion to the size of the propelling apparatus herein shown might seem too insignificant in capacity, as where the same is intended for carrying more than a very -limited cargo. In this connection it should here be stated that the apparatus herein described is to be of such an adjustable nature as to admit of being'placed in various forms of vessels with no more change than may be found necessary in the making of the bottom walls of the main chamber to iit and fasten tothe floor of the vessel by means of flanges herein provided.

In the drawings, A represents an oblong bottomless chamber with arched top, in which is an openin g leading to vertical chamber B, which is in turn supplied with a Valve C at its top, as shown.

I have designated as the vacuum-chamber, because when in operation a vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained at the upper portion thereof in order to raise the water therein to a suihcient height to insure perfect immersion of the propeller-wheel D, which operates This latter chamber IOO in chamber A from rotary motion imparted to it by shaft E and connections, as hereinafter described.

The shaft E is here shown as in connection with crank J, as that of an ordinary steamengine, through means of which rotary motion may be given to the said shaft with the required force, though let it be understood that I do not confine myself to that particular agency as a motive power, but reserve the right to employ any other force in connection with said shaft for purposes indicated, preferringin allcases to make the same a contiguous part of the chamber A, or at least to have it so connected therewith that it may be considered a part of the adjustable apparatus here described.

Vacuum-chamber B is supplied near the top With a pipe F, which is intended to connect with a suitable air-pump, by means of Which the accumulating air in this chamber, which accompanies water into chamber A, can be taken .away at once or as fast as it makes its appearance in this locality.

G represents an opening into chamber B, through which steam from the boiler or steamgenerator can be introduced under sufficient pressure to eXpel the air, as in the starting of operations here, through the valve C, af-n ter which, with the condensation of the remaining steam, the chambers A and B will naturally fill with water through the open bottom of the former, and thereafter, as above indicated, the incoming air4 will be exhausted through opening at pipe F.

The ends and side walls of chamber A are provided at or near the lower edges with a iange H, which secures the said chamber to vthe system of propulsion herein proposed,

then, of course, it might not be so essential to adhere so closely to this 'adj ustable feature of the apparatus under description; but in any event, inasmuch as the chamber A has to be secured to the bottom 'of the vessel as a rising departure therefrom, I can see no reason Why I should materially change this description to meet this last condition.

Therefore what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In means for propelling vessels, an arched chamber in the bottom thereof extending upwardly and above-the normal water-line and containingl a propeller-wheel, a superposed secondary or vacuum chamber connected to the upper portion of said first-named chamber, and means forvpartially exhausting said vacuum-chamber for` maintaining the water at the desired height therein to insure complete immersion of the propeller-wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES M.l COEN.

Witnesses:

R. M. FRYER, J. D. MCCREERY. 

